High Blood Sugar linked with Poor Memory

A new study has found that people with high blood sugar levels have a smaller hippocampus- a region in the brain associated with memory.

The study from Germany shows that sugar levels affect people's memories even if they aren't diagnosed with diabetes. Those who have hyperglycemia (excess sugar in the blood) suffer from poor memory.

The link between high blood sugar and mental problems isn't new. Previously, University of Washington researchers had found that sugar levels raise the risk of dementia in older people.

The present study was based on 141 healthy people with no known record of diabetes or pre-diabetes. They excluded overweight people and those who drank more than three and a half servings of alcohol per day.

Researchers then gave each participant a memory test and conducted a brain scan on them. The results showed that people with low blood sugar had high scores in memory tests. Further, brain scans showed that participants with hyperglycemia had a smaller hippocampus- a region associated with memory, according to a news release.

"These results suggest that even for people within the normal range of blood sugar, lowering their blood sugar levels could be a promising strategy for preventing memory problems and cognitive decline as they age," said Agnes Flöel, MD, of Charité University Medicine in Berlin, Germany, one of the study authors. "Strategies such as lowering calorie intake and increasing physical activity should be tested."

The study is published in the journal Neurology.

Robert Ratner, the chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association told USA Today that the study shows an association.

"They are looking at a single glucose level in time and memory. They haven't shown that the memory loss is either due to the higher glucose level, or that lowering glucose would improve memory," he said.

However, it is important to note that maintaining blood glucose levels is essential.

"The risk of dementia is higher in people with diabetes. It has been well established that elevated glucose impacts brain function and recovery in people following a stroke," he added, USA Today reported.